Nail Art - or how to make your nails look like Jewels ;-)

One of my best friends Andrea Rossi is an Artist here in Spiddal. I love visiting her, watching her paint and sometimes, I even bring a canvas and paint with her, well I should say "used to" as I haven't taken time to do that for a long time...

Last December 2014, shortly after taking on Gelish (Soak Off Gel Polish), I decided to do a Nail Art course to get some ideas for Christmas, I thought it would be fun to be able to offer something different to my clients. A Rudolph or Snow Flake on the Nails, why not...

But I didn't realise how much I would love doing Nail Art and how much my clients love it to... My Inner Child is having great fun :-D

Ok, I'm only a beginner, but I practice daily, learning different techniques. I LOVE IT!

I do take my time as it has to be right. To me, the most important is for my client to be happy with the results. She deserves the best.

Nail Art is definitely another way to Nurture the Goddess within YOU... I look forward to your visit X

An Spideal Wellness Centre

An Spideal Wellness Centre offers a wide range of therapies and has space for more practitioners (please contact Tissy on 086 3836295 for any enquiries).
We all work by appointment only. Please find below the full list of our therapists:

For more information, log on to facebook.com/AnSpidealWellnessCentre or www.spiddalwellnesscentre.com

Can Shiatsu help promote labour?

Posted on February 18, 2012
I often advise to my mums to start working on the “labour points” from 37 weeks to help the body getting ready for labour. But how does it work?

Research has now proven that we are not just a “Physical Body” – what can be seen: made of bones, blood and flesh, but also an “Energetic Body” – that can’t be seen, but can be felt: the Aura and Energy Pathways called Meridians. Most Meridians are named after the organ they go through (ie. Heart, Liver, Stomach). When there’s an imbalance in the Meridians (ie. Energy stuck), then it creates pain in the body (ie, Sciatica is usually energy not flowing nicely in the Gall Bladder Meridian).

Shiatsu Practitioners and Acupuncturist work with these Meridians aiming at balancing the energy throughout the body. Many factors can create imbalances, they can be either external (ie. Weather: wind, cold, etc.) or internal (Emotions).

When a woman reaches the end of her pregnancy, she often can’t wait to go into labour!!! It might be because she’s tired, in pain (SPD, etc.), worried that baby grows too big … But there’s also the threat of induction…and that’s what worries most of my mums… Induction with Pitocin (the synthetic version of Oxytocin) will usually make contractions much stronger than when Oxytocin is naturally produced by the body, which makes labour a bit more challenging for mums, and they often end up opting for the epidural… Believe me, if you can do without drugs, you’re better off!

It’s important to remember that the due date is only a guess date, so when you are given 10 days after the due date to go into labour spontaneously; it’s still only an estimate. Buy some time! Remember that the World Health Organisation recommends 14 days. Ask your consultant if you and your baby are ok, if yes then ask to wait one more day… The fear of induction can often create an emotional blockage. It’s hard for the body to release happy hormones to go into labour when you feel emotions such as fear. So it’s very important to RELAXXXXXX…

That’s what Shiatsu and Acupuncture work on: releasing stuck emotions, as well as relaxing the mum, releasing tension in the upper body, promoting the production of Oxytocin and strengthening the uterus. To do that, they access the Meridians through gates called Tsubos or Acupressure Points. Usually, a few sessions are needed, however, if the body is ready, mums can go into labour within 3 days following the treatment. I always show to my mums how to locate the points and encourage them to bring their partner. Furthermore, not only these points can be used in pregnancy from 37 weeks but also in labour, so it’s well worth doing a session with your partner.

So mums, remember: It’s very important to relax and to enjoy the last few days of your pregnancy. Meet up with your friends, go to the cinema to watch a fun movie, go to the restaurant, do all these things that you won’t be able to do for a little while. If it’s your first baby, go for a tea with your book on your own, believe me, as a mum, you don’t get much time on your own anymore  Go to the restaurant with your partner and enjoy the time just the 2 of you. Make love (to produce Oxytocin), drink Raspberry Leave Tea, work the Acupressure Points daily (maybe not in that order  ) and forget about Due Dates, Induction Dates, etc.

Just RELAXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX and have a wonderful labour!

Why join a baby massage class?

Posted on January 17, 2012
I discovered baby massage about 5 years ago (now I call it “big girl massage”) when I joined a class with my daughter. I really enjoyed that special time I was spending with my little girl massaging her… Her smiles, laughes and all that unconditional love made my heart melt… After the birth of my second child (by then, I was an expert in baby massage ), I decided to train as a Baby Massage instructor, in order to share with other parents my wonderful experience. I really think that every parent should have the opportunity to learn to massage their baby, and to join such a class. Not only you learn massage but also how to communicate with your baby, how to get to know him, how to respect him (as you need to ask permission…), how to react when he’s crying… It’s not just about the massage, it’s a parenting class, you get to learn so much about your baby and yourself…This is what a mum wrote to me recently: “The most important experience has been the eye to eye contact. It’s crazy to think that by listening and looking, you can actually understand your baby. Also, I have learnt to respect my daughter by asking her permission to touch her. I feel so close to her, and she seems to be happier and a really relaxed baby”.

Usually, we start by massaging our babies, then I teach some theory about baby massage (benefits, oils, how to massage your growing child,etc.) and we have a discussion (with a cup of tea!), I love the discussions because we all exchange our ideas. Sometimes, it can be a little emotional, but we are all there to support each other…